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WATCH LIVE: Rep. Fischbach, challenger Osberg face off in Minnesota U.S. House debate
Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach will face Democratic challenger and small business owner Erik Osberg on the debate stage Thursday.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 3:12 PM ET
Republican · 3 November 2026
Michelle Fischbach
U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 7th congressional district (since 2021)
Michelle Fischbach, a Republican who has represented Minnesota's 7th congressional district since 2021 and served as lieutenant governor of Minnesota from 2018 to 2019, faces Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Erik Osberg in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Michelle Fischbach.
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Recent media coverage for Michelle Fischbach.
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Challenger Osberg takes aim, U.S. Rep. Fischbach defends in debate
“Number one policy is ending the chaos and uncertainty. Congress needs to restore their control over things like tariffs,” was Osberg’s response.
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WATCH: Fischbach, Osberg square off in 7th Congressional District debate
Two candidates for Minnesota's 7th Congressional District will appear at a debate hosted by Prairie Public Broadcasting at 7 p.m. CST on Thursday, Oct. 15.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- November 3, 1965
- Birthplace
- Woodbury, Minnesota
- Education
- Woodbury High School
College of St. Benedict
St. Cloud State University (Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics, 1989)
William Mitchell School of Law (Juris Doctor, 2011)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Michelle Fischbach was born on November 3, 1965, and grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota, where she graduated from Woodbury High School.
She attended the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph from 1984 to 1986 before transferring to St. Cloud State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics in 1989. She later received a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell School of Law in Saint Paul in 2011.
Her first political experience came as an intern to Rudy Boschwitz, then a U.S. senator for Minnesota.
Career
Fischbach's elected career began in 1994, when she became the first woman elected to the Paynesville City Council, and in 1996 she won a special election to the Minnesota Senate, where she served until 2018.
Her colleagues elected her the first female president of the Minnesota Senate in 2011, a post she held until 2013 and again from 2017 to 2018.
When Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate, Fischbach succeeded to the lieutenant governorship as Senate president, and she resigned her Senate seat on May 25, 2018.
She served as lieutenant governor until January 7, 2019, and was Tim Pawlenty's running mate in the 2018 Republican primary for governor, which they lost to Jeff Johnson.
In 2020 Fischbach challenged 30-year Democratic incumbent Collin Peterson in the 7th district and defeated him by 49,226 votes. For the 119th Congress she serves on the Committee on Rules, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House, and on the Committee on Ways and Means.
2026 race
Minnesota's 7th congressional district covers all but the southern end of rural western Minnesota, including Moorhead, Willmar, Alexandria and Fergus Falls, and Michelle Fischbach is its Republican incumbent, re-elected with 70.5% of the vote in 2024.
Fischbach won the Republican primary as the only candidate on the ballot. Her opponent is Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Erik Osberg, the owner of a media marketing firm, who won his primary with 65.7% of the vote against Air Force veteran Steve Carlson.
The general election takes place on November 3, 2026.